Machine for operating upon the bottoms of shoes



July 26, 193s. l E, E WlNKLEY 2,124,662

MACHINE FOR OPERATING UPoN- THE: BoTToMs oF SHOES Filed Dec. 1, 193s In J6 Patented July 26, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT- OFFICE MACHINE FOR OPERATING UPON THE BOTTOMS OF SHOES Application December 1, 1936, Serial No. 113,625

21 Claims.

This invention relates to machines for performing various shoe-making operations, it being especially applicable to the bottom portions of shoes, as the sole-edge and the welt.

It is obvious that production ycosts may be reduced if an operator can so use a machine that it will, without substantial increase in the time required, simultaneously perform operations which previously have required a plurality of machines. An object of my invention is to obtain such combined steps in the production of shoes by the employment of a single simple and highly efficient apparatus.

In the attainment of this object, I utilize in my improved machine a rotary cutting tool and a reciprocatory or oscillatory indenting tool or finger, these tools being arranged to act together upon intersecting surfaces of a shoe-bottom at points alined heightways of said shoe-bottom, this height being taken when the shoe is in its normal position, with the tread-surface of its sole resting on a supporting surface. The cutter may round to approximate contour the edge of the sole, while the companion tool is producing a series of indentations along the upper surface of the welt to impart to it a finish. Because of the heightways relation just stated, as the periphery of a sole travels by the tools, the work may be turned about this common line of action, so there is assured the correct relation of each tool to the surface upon which it acts. Since each tool must operate over its full work-surface, it must extend beyond the edge or edges of such surface. That is, the cutter must be wider than lthe sole-edge, and the indenting tool must project beyond the outer edge of the welt. To bring this about without interference between the tools during their simultaneous operation, I provide one of the tools with a space through which the other tool may move to cross the operating path of its companion. As illustrated, the cutter has cutting projections between which are spaces and the indenting tool moves in a path which carries it into these spaces across the path of the cutter, the tools being actuated in synchronism. The cutting projections may have depressions leading from these spaces which the indenting tool occupies during portions of its travel, the clearance between the two tools being thereby increased. vThe indenting tool is shown as carrying a guard for the cutter. A bottom-rest preferably positions the sole-edge transversely of the cutter and furnishes a work-abutment toward whichV the indenting tool acts. A movable feeding member 'may be associated with the tools 'to assist the operator in advancing the work. The feeding member, as herein disclosed, serves as a gage for the work, limiting its approach to the cutter. This feeding member, like the indenting tool, may be oscillated into and out of engagement with the work and is also moved bodily in the direction of work-advance to produce its feeding eifect.

In the acccompanying drawing,

Fig. 1 shows a particular embodiment of my improved machine in front elevation;

Fig. 2, a section on the line II-II of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3, a top plan view, with the cover-plate removed, and

Fig. 4, a horizontal section on the line IV-IV of Fig. 1.

Mounted on a standard I0 is a head I2 carrying the operating elements of the machine. Journaled in the head and extending horizontally from front to rear is a shaft I4, upon the forward extremity of which is secured a rounding cutter C. This cutter is shown as in the general form of a short cylinder, having a body-portion I6 from which extend four projections I8, each provided at its forward side with a cutting edge 2D. The length of this edge is greater than the maximum thickness of combined sole and Welt to be operated upon. Diverging inwardly and rearwardly from each cutting edge is the usual inclined surface 22. Between the projections are spaces 24, o'fwhich the surfaces 22 furnish the rear walls. These projections separate the cutting portions and, in the present instance, have a novel function. This, together with the purpose of a depression 26, formed at one side of the peripheral portion of each projection and extending from the space 24 toward the cutting edge 20, will be later developed. 'I'he cutter-shaft is rotated continuously in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 1 during the operation of the machine by bevely gearing 28, a vertical shaft 3U and bevel-gearing 32 from a horizontal driving shaft 34. Both the shafts 30 and 34 are journaled in thehead I2, the latter receiving power through a pulley 36.

Trunnioned at 38 at opposite sides of the head are arms 40, 40 joined at their lower extremities near the front of the machine by a crossbar 42. From this bar, there extends downwardly and rearwardly an indenting tool shown as in the form of a thin, curved finger 44. The inner rectangular end 46 of this finger is of the proper shape and dimensions to act upon a welt or the outwardly extended edge of a shoe-upper for the purpose of producing'therein a series of parallel depressions to improve the appearance. From the bar 42, a plate 48 projects vertically along the front face of the cutter, serving to guard the operator therefrom. Extending upwardly from the trunnion-portion of one of the arms 40 is an arm 59. A roll 52 rotatable upon the upper end of this arm is drawn by a spring 54 against a cam 56 fixed upon the shaft 34. The cam, acting through the arms, causes the finger 44 to be cscillated in a substantially horizontal direction to strike the surface of a welt or other shoe-part extending along the upper face of a sole-margin which is being presented to the cutter C. To

lcomplete the trimming of the sole by the cutter across its entire edge, the edges 28 of said cutter must extend beyond the faces of both the sole and the welt. Similarly, to actfully across the Welt, the'upper edge of the end46 of the indenting tool must lie outside the sole-edge. To avoid interference between the two tools, they are synchronously operated, the timing being such that each stroke of the tool 44 occurs, after it reaches the cutter, in the space 24 or in the depression 26. In the form of Acutter illustrated, as' will be understood upon reference to Fig. l of the drawing, the end 46 of the tool in its inward movement will enter one of the depressions 26; then, just as the projection i8 travels by, it passes into the space 24 into engagement with the work to produce its identations, emerging in its outward stroke before the cutting edge 29 or the wall 22 reaches it. This is repeated for each of the four cutter-portions.

The work is held transversely of the cutter C and the thrust of the nger 44 resisted by a bottom-rest or abutment furnished by an idle roll 6B. The roll is rotatable about a stud 62 rising from the outer end of a b-ar 64 mounted to move horizontally through the standard I8. This roll is thrust to a normal position adjustably determined by a washer 'i6 surrounding a reduced shank of the bar and backed by a nut 68 threaded upon the shank. The Washer contacts with an arm of a bell-crank-lever 'i2 fulcrumed upon the standard, and to a second arm of this lever a rod 'i4 is joined, this being connected at its lower end to a treadle I6 pivoted near the bottom ofthe standard. The treadle is elevated by a spring ll, this allowing the spring 66 to urge the roll forward to a working position determined by the nut 68. Consequently, the sole of a shoe, the tread-surface of which is held against the rollS, may be positioned with the full width of its edge between the opposite sides of the cutter C. Depression of the treadle will carry the bar rearwardly against the force of the spring 66, giving a space between the roll and an opposite element, as the indenting finger 44, to introduce the work.

I preferably provide a work-feeding member which may also serve as a gage limiting the advance of the work toward the cutter. Fulcrumed Vupon a spindle 89 lying transversely of the machine-head l2 is a lever L having an extended hub 82 surrounding the spindle. From the hub depends spaced arms 84, 84. Inturned ends 86 of these arms lie at opposite sides of the indenting finger 44, they thus exerting a uniformly distributed force upon the work as they press it toward the roll 86. The location of these leverarm-ends with relation to the lower extremity of the indenting finger and to the periphery of the cutter is such that when the shoe-upper is against their under sides, the finger may act over lthe width of the welt to beyondl its outer edge, and the cutter may reduce the sole-edge to the extent desired. The upward movement of the work is,

however, so limited that too deep a cut in the sole cannot be made. To produce the work-feeding action of the arms, the lever L isy under the influence of two cams, 88 and 96, fast upon the driving shaft 34. The cam 88 contacts at its periphery with a roll 92 turning upon an arm 94 rising from the hub 82, a spring 95 maintaining the roll in engagement with the cam. The cam has a groove which receives a roll 96 rotatable upon the upper side of a lever 98 fulcrumed horizontally within the head l2. At the under side of the forward extremity of the lever turns a roll |98, which is received between cheeks |02, |02 formed upon the hub 82. yThe contours of the cams 88 and 98 cause them respectively to oscillate the lever L about the spindle 88, so the leverends 86, 86 are alternately in contact with and withdrawn from the welt, and to shift the lever bodily along the spindle. Engagement of the lever-ends with the welt occurs as the lever is traveling toward the left, as viewed from the front of the machine. This advances the work. The lever is then retracted, and its travel reversed to again assume the initial feeding position. The space between the arms 84, 84 is` sufflcient to permit the bodily movement of the lever without contact with the indenting finger. The distance through which the feeding arm swings into engagement with the work is unvarying, but different thickness of bottom edges is compensated for by the yield of the roll 60 against the spring 66.

In using the apparatus, with the movable elements continuously driven, the operator depresses the treadle 16 and inserts the edge of a sole s upon a shoe-upper S (Fig. 2) in the space which is thereby produced between the roll 60 and the indenting finger 44 and feed-lever-ends 86, the tread-surface of the sole being placed against the roll. The treadle is then released, and the work is carried by the roll under the influence of the spring 66 into operating position. Aided by the feeding effect of the lever L as it moves from right to left in active engagement with the welt w of the shoe, the operator raises the work and advances the periphery of the sole to receive the action of the cutter C, the depth to which the material is removed being limited by the engagement of the shoe-upper with the feed-lever-ends. The tool 44, acting in the depressions 26 and through the spaces 24 of the cutter, forms in the surface of the welt a series of ornamental indentations. Because the line of contact of the cutter C with the sole-edge is alined with the limited transverse area upon which the end 46 of the tool 44 acts, the operator may turn the work to present its curved periphery to the tools, while said tools maintain the correct relation to the surfaces upon which they are to act. During the entire operation, the operator is protected by the plate 48 against injury through contact of his hands with the cutter.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In a machine forf operating upon shoebottoms, a rotary cutting tool and a reciprocatory indenting tool arranged to act together upon intersecting'surfaces of a shoe-bottom and at points alined with each other heightways of said shoe-bottom. Y.

2. In amachine for operating upon shoe-bottoms, a rotary cutting tool and a reciprocatory indenting tool arranged to act together at points alined with each other heightways of aY shoebottom, and a movable work-feeding member associated with the tools.

3. In a machine for operating upon shoe-bottoms, a rotary cutting tool and a reciprocatory indenting tool arranged to act together at points alined with each other heightways of a shoebottom, and a movable work-feeding member associated with the tools, said member serving as a gage for the work.

4. In a machine for operating upon shoe-bottoms, a rotary cutting tool and a reciprocatory indenting tool arranged to act together at points alined with each other heightways of a shoesole, and a rest for the tread-surface of the sole situated beside the cutter and toward which the indenting tool acts from the side of the sole opposite the tread-surface.

5. In a machine for operating upon shoe-bottoms, a rotary cutting tool and a reciprocatory indenting tool arranged to act together upon intersecting surfaces and at points alined with each other heightways of a shoe-sole, both tools extending beyond the intersection of the solesurfaces upon which they operate.

6. In a machine for operating upon shoe-bottoms, a cutting tool and an indenting tool arranged to act upon a shoe-bottom, one of said tools having a space through which the other tool may move to cross the operating path of the companion tool '7. In a machine for operating upon shoe-bottoms, a rotary tool and a reciprocatory tool arranged to act upon a shoe-bottom, the rotary tool having a space extending transversely of its periphery and into which the reoiprocatory tool may move.

8. In a machine for operating upon shoe-bottoms, a rotary tool and a reciprocatory tool arranged to act upon a shoe-bottom, the rotary tool having a space into which the reciprocatory tool may move, and a work-feeding member arranged to move in the same direction as the reciprocatory tool and having also a bodily movement laterally thereof.

9. The combination with a rotatable cutter provided with cutting projections between which are spaces, of an indenting member movable into and out of contact with a surface of the work through the spaces in the cutter in a plane intersecting that in which said cutter rotates.

10. The combination with a rotatable cutter provided with cutting projections between which are spaces and depressions in the projections leading from the spaces, of a finger movable into engagement with the work through the spaces and in the depressions.

11. The combination with a rotatable cutter provided with cutting projections between which are spaces, of a nger movable into engagement with the work through the spaces in a plane intersecting that in which said cutter rotates, and means for actuating the cutter and finger in synchronism.

12. The combination with a rotatable cutter provided with cutting projections between which are spaces, of an oscillatory ngerf movable into engagement with the work through the spaces, and a guard for the cutter mounted to oscillate with the finger.

13. In a machine for operating upon shoebottoms, a rotary sole-edge-trimming cutter, an oscillatory welt-indenting member limited in its action to the upper surface of the welt, and means for operating the cutter and indenting member simultaneously.

14. In a machine for operating upon shoebottoms, a rotary sole-edge-trimrning cutter, an oscillatory welt-indenting member, and means for operating the cutter and indenting member simultaneously, the edge of the cutter being wider than the edge of the sole and the work-engaging end of the indenting member being arranged to extend beyond the edge of the welt.

15. In a machine for operating upon shoebottoms, a rotary sole-edge-trimming cutter provided with cutting edges between which are spaces, and an oscillatory welt-indenting finger movable in the spaces between the cutting edges.

16. In a machine for operating upon shoebottoms, a rotary sole-edge-trimming cutter provided with cutting edges between whch are spaces and depressions extending from the spaces toward the cuttin-g edges, and an oscillatory weltindenting member movable in the spaces between the cutting edges and in the depressions.

17. In a machine for operating upon shoebottoms, a rotary sole-edge-trimming cutter, an oscillatory welt-indenting finger, and a cutterguard movable with the finger.

18. In a machine for operating upon shoebottoms, a rotary sole-edge-trimming cutter provided with cutting edges between which are spaces, an oscillatory welt-indenting finger movable in the spaces between the cutting edges, and a feeding member having a work-engaging portion at each side of the finger.

19. In a machine for operating upon shoebottoms, a rotary sole-edge-trimming cutter provided with cutting edges between which are spaces, an oscillatory welt-indenting finger movable in the spaces between the cutting edges, and a feeding member having aV work-engaging portion at each side of the finger and arranged for engagement with both the welt and the shoeupper.

20. In a machine for operating upon shoebottoms, a rotary sole-edge-trimming cutter, an oscillatory welt-indenting finger, a feeding member having a work-engaging portion at each side of the finger, and a bottom-rest toward which the fingenis movable.

21. In a machine for operating upon shoebottoms, a rotary sol-e-edge-trimming cutter, an oscillatory welt-indenting finger, a feeding member having a work-engaging portion at each side of the finger, and means for oscillating the feeding member into and out of engagement with the work and for moving it bodily in the direction of work-advance.

ERASTUS E. WINKLEY. 

